Anyone else concerned about the crowd increase?

[Silas5]

While I've always loved FP and like that it allows shorter waits for lines, what I'm really hoping for is park hopping (if there is still availability in a specific park). That way, if I randomly picked a super full park, I can just hop to a different park that might provide shorter lines. I don't see why this isn't a possibility and Disney would not be out anything, but possibly making more money on the people that would buy a park hopper option. I have a park hopper ticket right now and won't be able to use it at all because no park hopping is available.

 

[Tormania]

You can buy a Mickey Bar for $6. Sit down somewhere. Remove your mask and eat it. Disney considers this safe.

You cannot sit down somewhere. Remove your mask and take a picture. Disney considers this unsafe.

Please tell me what the difference is.

Your thought process mirrors mine. I'm 100% with you. Which is why I have described many of Disney's "policies" as solely arbitrary in nature, but some folks get a bit offended by that terminology, but if the shoe fits....

 

[Leigh L]

While I've always loved FP and like that it allows shorter waits for lines, what I'm really hoping for is park hopping (if there is still availability in a specific park). That way, if I randomly picked a super full park, I can just hop to a different park that might provide shorter lines. I don't see why this isn't a possibility and Disney would not be out anything, but possibly making more money on the people that would buy a park hopper option. I have a park hopper ticket right now and won't be able to use it at all because no park hopping is available.

I really missed park hopping on our last trip. Love the idea and I'm guessing the capacity can be tracked in MDE with an "almost at capacity" or "at capacity" pop up when reserving a spot, but transportation logistics might be hard right now?

 

[Tormania]

I really missed park hopping on our last trip. Love the idea and I'm guessing the capacity can be tracked in MDE with an "almost at capacity" or "at capacity" pop up when reserving a spot, but transportation logistics might be hard right now?

For us the park hopping was nice last trip, but with the reduced hours it would be less effective right now for our touring style. We'd do MK until park close on say a MVMCP night and then PH over to Epcot for another 3+ hrs, grab dinner, etc... But now the other parks close at roughly the same time so being able to "double dip" parks in a single day is pretty much a non-starter, even if they did bring back PH. And for logistics WDW would need to run the park-to-park bus routes which obviously are not running now, which of course reduces WDW costs and staffing to not need those drivers. And that doesn't bring into account the EPCOT Monorail that is not running either. Our PHs were bought in Feb for our upcoming trip and we hold out a sliver of hope it comes back by Thanksgiving, but I'm 99.99% sure it won't be back at all in 2020.

 

[MomOTwins]

With no shows and no evening park hours, your entertainment is riding rides during the day, or shopping, or eating. I try to limit how much I shop or eat, so rides it is. If I have to spend most of my time standing in line, I won't get much entertainment. And that would mean there is very little point in going to WDW except to worry about Covid in different surroundings.

I don't agree there are "no shows." We saw quite a few shows in August. The circlevision shows in Epcot, Muppets and Lightning McQueen in HS, Tiki Room and Country Bears and Carousel of Progress in MK, and sitting watching distanced character appearances in every park. They are bringing the Frozen show back to HS too.

I also considered the resorts to be a major source of entertainment. We spent much more time at our resort--swimming in the pool, than we normally do on a Disney trip and it made me realize how much we were missing out just rope-dropping to close at the parks in past trips..

You can buy a Mickey Bar for $6. Sit down somewhere. Remove your mask and eat it. Disney considers this safe.

You cannot sit down somewhere. Remove your mask and take a picture. Disney considers this unsafe.

Please tell me what the difference is.

Two differences:

(1) Go to main street/the hub Magic Kingdom. Count how many people at a given time are standing in the middle of a busy walkway taking pictures. A lot. Now count how many people are sitting down in the middle of main street eating. That's the difference. People don't just want to take pictures of them sitting on a bench somewhere away from other people, they all want a picture of the same things right in the middle of the action where everyone else it trying to walk by and can't distance, i.e., front of cinderella's castle, or the Epcot golf ball, or the tree of life. Easier to have a rule that says "you have to go off and sit somewhere away by yourself from other people if you want to take your mask off to eat" than to have a rule that says "you have to go off and sit somewhere away by yourself from other people if you want to take your mask off to take a photo"--because for photos it kind of defeats the point.

(3) Bad publicity. Someone takes a photo of them eating a mickey bar and posts it to social media, people get it--the person is eating and that's why their mask is down. People take a selfie in the hub without a mask and with dozens of other people doing the same thing nearby, and it becomes a scandal.

from your posts here and the other thread it's clear you had unrealistic expectations coming to Disney. Sorry you are having an awful time, you can always chose to leave the park if you feel uncomfortable
I honestly don't see anything wrong with this pic, everyone is walking so those gaps in between will stay that way, it seems you were expecting absolutely no one to cross your path, which again is unrealistic

I agree that expecting six feet distance while moving around is not realistic, nor is it a violation of social distancing. You have to be standing close to someone outdoors for much longer than the couple seconds it takes to walk past to sometime to be worried about Covid transmission. Social distancing rules are in place for when people are near one another for prolonged periods, or when indoors where the air is not always refreshing. But I will say I don't agree there is nothing concerning about that photo. What concerns me about the photo is that when you put it together to wait times, it really does appear Disney is increasing capacity too much, too fast, with too high a U.S. infection rate. The more people you add to the parks, to more people with Covid will be there, and the more likely you are to encounter one on your trip. Plus, more people makes it harder for the same number of CMs to enforce rules.

I also do agree with the poster of the photo that there were far more people with masks off or worn under noses/chins on our trip--and not just inadvertent, people who were defiant and refused to correct the behavior when asked--than I was led to believe by the posts here. We had many many moments when we were stuck in an indoor line queue with non-compliant people who had to be reminded EVERY marker to go back to their line and put on their mask.

 

[Silas5]

I do still like the option to "hop" after a nap at the hotel. So, no extra bus needed. However, if they did add the bus, it would be a wash because of the increase cost of a park hopper would pay for it.

Also, if for some reason, I arrive at a park and it's super crowded - I would hop sooner. It would even out crowd levels at parks in an easy way.

I do agree that it won't be back anytime soon - but one can only hope and wish! Haha

 

[ctl]

I guess we all knew it would happen but, the jump from manageable crowds to what appears to be chaos on weekends and recent weekdays seems too much too soon. It appears the need to recover lost dollars outweighs the safety of guests at this point. The pictures/videos and articles over the past couple of weeks makes it look like they have opened the flood gates to guests. I know everyone wants to get out and try to feel normal but, it sure doesn't look like they are limiting attendance. I have not personally been there to experience it but, it looks like pre pandemic currently.

Cheers,

Schuey

Considering that Disney has had to lay off 28,000 employees an increase in park attendance would seem to be a good thing. The COVID risk has to be judged by each person individually. If , like myself, you are very concerned about protecting yourself from the virus, then my best advice would be not to travel for the foreseeable future until a vaccine is available. There are many people however who have actually had the virus and recovered. If they want to travel to WDW and vacation, then that may help those poor people who have lost their jobs get hired back. It is a difficult balance, but in the end it all boils down to personal responsibility. If people would wear their masks and social distance then it would ameliorate some of the risk, but we can only control our own behavior and make our own choices from there.

 

[disneygirlsng]

View attachment 529303
How’s that for social distancing????

Looks fine to me.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

Who actually thinks social distancing and mask wearing will be 100% at a THEME PARK. There are thousands of people there on any given day. There is absolutely no way that it’ll be done perfectly all day every day. If you aren’t ok with that reality you really shouldn’t be going to a theme park during a pandemic.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

I don't agree there are "no shows." We saw quite a few shows in August. The circlevision shows in Epcot, Muppets and Lightning McQueen in HS, Tiki Room and Country Bears and Carousel of Progress in MK, and sitting watching distanced character appearances in every park. They are bringing the Frozen show back to HS too.

I also considered the resorts to be a major source of entertainment. We spent much more time at our resort--swimming in the pool, than we normally do on a Disney trip and it made me realize how much we were missing out just rope-dropping to close at the parks in past trips..


Two differences:

(1) Go to main street/the hub Magic Kingdom. Count how many people at a given time are standing in the middle of a busy walkway taking pictures. A lot. Now count how many people are sitting down in the middle of main street eating. That's the difference. People don't just want to take pictures of them sitting on a bench somewhere away from other people, they all want a picture of the same things right in the middle of the action where everyone else it trying to walk by and can't distance, i.e., front of cinderella's castle, or the Epcot golf ball, or the tree of life. Easier to have a rule that says "you have to go off and sit somewhere away by yourself from other people if you want to take your mask off to eat" than to have a rule that says "you have to go off and sit somewhere away by yourself from other people if you want to take your mask off to take a photo"--because for photos it kind of defeats the point.

(3) Bad publicity. Someone takes a photo of them eating a mickey bar and posts it to social media, people get it--the person is eating and that's why their mask is down. People take a selfie in the hub without a mask and with dozens of other people doing the same thing nearby, and it becomes a scandal.


I agree that expecting six feet distance while moving around is not realistic, nor is it a violation of social distancing. You have to be standing close to someone outdoors for much longer than the couple seconds it takes to walk past to sometime to be worried about Covid transmission. Social distancing rules are in place for when people are near one another for prolonged periods, or when indoors where the air is not always refreshing. But I will say I don't agree there is nothing concerning about that photo. What concerns me about the photo is that when you put it together to wait times, it really does appear Disney is increasing capacity too much, too fast, with too high a U.S. infection rate. The more people you add to the parks, to more people with Covid will be there, and the more likely you are to encounter one on your trip. Plus, more people makes it harder for the same number of CMs to enforce rules.

I also do agree with the poster of the photo that there were far more people with masks off or worn under noses/chins on our trip--and not just inadvertent, people who were defiant and refused to correct the behavior when asked--than I was led to believe by the posts here. We had many many moments when we were stuck in an indoor line queue with non-compliant people who had to be reminded EVERY marker to go back to their line and put on their mask.

I agree that the maskless picture issue is about publicity. Not safety.

 

[ellbell]

Who actually thinks social distancing and mask wearing will be 100% at a THEME PARK. There are thousands of people there on any given day. There is absolutely no way that it’ll be done perfectly all day every day. If you aren’t ok with that reality you really shouldn’t be going to a theme park during a pandemic.

Grocery stores can't even manage it with a small fraction of the people. I think it's easier for people to manager their expections and if you are concerned about the crowds, the ability to be socially distant and people wearing their masks properly than you are better off staying home. You can only control your own behavior.

 

[michellej47]

Because you’re spending >$50 on food and taking pictures is free.

Memory Maker is not free.

 

[ellbell]

I think that honesty gets taken for granted. While everyone is entitled to their own opinion I was reporting first hand from in the MK. I wasn’t looking to get into a debate of masks or no masks or whether you believe Disney should be maskless or allow more people or whatever. I reported the facts.

Don’t go if you have even 50% expectations of what normal used to be.
They also reduced food menus at the quick service restaurants.

Overall I had an amazing day at Epcot yesterday and and ok day today at MK.
Splash at the end made the day.

People @ MK are disrespectful of one another. While @ Epcot is was the exact opposite.

You would NEVER know we are in a pandemic.

I guarantee you we will see a massive spike in Covid cases in 2-6 weeks. JUST WATCH.

While I respect your opinion and agree that people should manage their expectations, in no way was your report facts. Other people in the same park as you today reported differently than you. It was your perspective on how things were. I appreciate that you were able provided your perspective but it was different than others.

 

[yulilin3]

A reminder that politics are off topic and not allowed per DIS guidelines

 

[Naterfan]

Is there any word on a percentage increase in guests? Kind of like....last weekend MK had 50% as many guests as it did at around the same time as last year. We have a trip planned for Christmas break and we were hoping for about 1/2 the normal amount of guests. Ride wait times are not a factor for us.

 

[ellbell]

Is there any word on a percentage increase in guests? Kind of like....last weekend MK had 50% as many guests as it did at around the same time as last year. We have a trip planned for Christmas break and we were hoping for about 1/2 the normal amount of guests. Ride wait times are not a factor for us.

Disney hasn't released any official numbers. There is no way to know how many guests are being allowed in or the percentage of max capacity at anytime.

 

[gochief58]

Will be there next week for 11 days. Would have loved to be able to just walk on rides but the extended hours will make up for that some. Haven’t been in a few years and been looking forward to this trip like none other. We will have a great time no matter what. If you can’t have fun at Disney World there’s just something wrong with you!

 

[FinnsMom7]

While I respect your opinion and agree that people should manage their expectations, in no way was your report facts. Other people in the same park as you today reported differently than you. It was your perspective on how things were. I appreciate that you were able provided your perspective but it was different than others.

I also don't understand how if it was so unmagical why continue to stay for 2 hours and go across the park for more rides and photos but that is just me

 

[fabfemmeboy]

View attachment 529303
How’s that for social distancing????

Honestly that's better than I see when I'm running errands, and I'm in a place that has been very strict since early in the pandemic. It's always hard to tell depth of field in a photo, but it looks like there are some groups off to the side that are mostly spaced okay, and groups of people walking between. It also looks like if I wanted to walk the other direction, I would have room to do so comfortably with a couple feet of distance as I passed, so that's reassuring.

I also see everyone wearing masks correctly except for the women with the toddler off to the right, who appear to be messing with food and drink (which is allowed because they're clearly stationary).

Maybe it feels really different in person than it does in this picture, but this picture doesn't look scary to me (even though I've been going out only to run essential errands since March and no one but my partner has seen my nose in almost as long)

 

[Took]

I don't agree there are "no shows." We saw quite a few shows in August. The circlevision shows in Epcot, Muppets and Lightning McQueen in HS, Tiki Room and Country Bears and Carousel of Progress in MK, and sitting watching distanced character appearances in every park. They are bringing the Frozen show back to HS too.

I also considered the resorts to be a major source of entertainment. We spent much more time at our resort--swimming in the pool, than we normally do on a Disney trip and it made me realize how much we were missing out just rope-dropping to close at the parks in past trips..


Two differences:

(1) Go to main street/the hub Magic Kingdom. Count how many people at a given time are standing in the middle of a busy walkway taking pictures. A lot. Now count how many people are sitting down in the middle of main street eating. That's the difference. People don't just want to take pictures of them sitting on a bench somewhere away from other people, they all want a picture of the same things right in the middle of the action where everyone else it trying to walk by and can't distance, i.e., front of cinderella's castle, or the Epcot golf ball, or the tree of life. Easier to have a rule that says "you have to go off and sit somewhere away by yourself from other people if you want to take your mask off to eat" than to have a rule that says "you have to go off and sit somewhere away by yourself from other people if you want to take your mask off to take a photo"--because for photos it kind of defeats the point.

(3) Bad publicity. Someone takes a photo of them eating a mickey bar and posts it to social media, people get it--the person is eating and that's why their mask is down. People take a selfie in the hub without a mask and with dozens of other people doing the same thing nearby, and it becomes a scandal.


I agree that expecting six feet distance while moving around is not realistic, nor is it a violation of social distancing. You have to be standing close to someone outdoors for much longer than the couple seconds it takes to walk past to sometime to be worried about Covid transmission. Social distancing rules are in place for when people are near one another for prolonged periods, or when indoors where the air is not always refreshing. But I will say I don't agree there is nothing concerning about that photo. What concerns me about the photo is that when you put it together to wait times, it really does appear Disney is increasing capacity too much, too fast, with too high a U.S. infection rate. The more people you add to the parks, to more people with Covid will be there, and the more likely you are to encounter one on your trip. Plus, more people makes it harder for the same number of CMs to enforce rules.

I also do agree with the poster of the photo that there were far more people with masks off or worn under noses/chins on our trip--and not just inadvertent, people who were defiant and refused to correct the behavior when asked--than I was led to believe by the posts here. We had many many moments when we were stuck in an indoor line queue with non-compliant people who had to be reminded EVERY marker to go back to their line and put on their mask.

I have to admit, this just has not been our experience the last few days. We have seen nearly 100% compliance in lines and elsewhere every day this week. I saw one man without his mask pulled up and he complied instantly when he was reminded. Maybe one or two noses were out but it’s really been amazing.